Be a good sport, Dad! Ray Massey test drives the new Toyota GT 86 car

It has classic sporty looks, a spirited driving performance and is an engaging Toyota to suit carefree, boy racers now with families in tow but would the £27,995 Toyota GT 86 live up to Motoring Editor Ray Massey's expectations?

THE GOOD

Developed in collaboration with Subaru,
the GT86 is an unashamedly back-to-basics sports car with the feel,
simplicity and energy of another era, but today’s comfort and
technology. During its development Toyota bosses parked a Sixties 2000GT next to the clay model of the new car for inspiration.

Fun and nearly practical two-door
sports coupe, offering something more adventurous than the standard
hatchback— even a hot one — or the more obvious multi-purpose vehicle
(MPV). The two rear seats have Isofix anchor points, perfect for baby
and child seats. A remarkably generous boot for the family shop. The
onepiece rear seats even drop down, doubling the space.

Value? The Toyota GT 86 car, starts at £27,995, but extras such as heated seats quickly rack up a larger bill

It's rear-wheel drive, not turbo-charged, and runs on ordinary tyres. POWERED by a 2-litre ‘flatfour’ cylinder engine linked to a six-speed manual gearbox with flick-of-the wrist changes, it accelerates from rest to 62 mph in 7.7 seconds with a top speed of 140 mph.

A six-speed automatic gearbox, with steering wheel shift-paddles, offering slightly better fuel consumption, is also available. A smart entry system unlocks the doors when you are nearby, as long as you have the key with you, then step in and push the button to start. Low-slung driving position, low centre of gravity and high power-to-weight ratio makes you feel you’re in a fighter cockpit.

Inside it’s old school and masculine in tone, with cossetting, supportive sports seats and red stitching on the leather trim and wheel, while heated seats proved their worth in the cold snap. Despite the sporty performance, consumption averages 36.2 mpg; 44.3 mpg when cruising, but dropping to 27.2mpg around town. It reminded me of the power of some American muscle cars. Quite raw. But fun.

THE BAD

While technically a fourseater, you won’t get anyone else other than small children in the back — certainly not adults — unless you push the driver’s seat so far forward your nose is on the windscreen. CO2 emissions of 181g/km are not bad for a performance car, but still makes for a higher Band I road tax — £325 a year.

The basic price of £24,995 is quickly inflated by £3,000 with an array of options — touchscreen audio and satnav controls (£750), metallic paint (£650) and those sports seats (a bottom-scorching £1,600).

Even with paddles, gear changing is sometimes a bit of an effort. Maybe I’m getting spoiled (or old), but I also missed parking sensors.

One for the real anoraks. It’s called the '86' as a nod to Toyota’s much-loved Corolla GT, designated the AE86. The new car’s development code was 086A. Even the diameter of its chrome-tipped twin exhausts is 86mm. Get a life, chaps.